Ivanka Trump again proves she shouldn’t be in the White House, say critics

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Ivanka Trump poses for a selfie with Lauren Gibbs as they attend the 4-man Boblseigh on day sixteen of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Olympic Sliding Centre on February 25, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

In a new interview, Ivanka Trump said she believes her father’s denials about sexual misconduct, while adding that it’s “pretty inappropriate” to ask any daughter if she believes her father is guilty of abusing women.

“I believe my father,” said Ivanka Trump in an interview with Peter Alexander of NBC News. The comments came Sunday while she was serving in her official position as a senior White House advisor and representing the United States delegation at the Winter Olympics in South Korea.

Ivanka Trump went on to tell NBC, “I know my father. So I think I have that right as a daughter to believe my father.”

But at the same time, Ivanka Trump wants to claim a daughter’s exemption to such questions — in yet another example of what some observers say is a reason that she, as a president’s daughter, shouldn’t work in the White House.

In fact, some observers say Ivanka Trump should “resign” if she doesn’t want to be asked such questions, especially when she’s tried to brand herself as a champion of women’s empowerment.

Ivanka Trump told Alexander, “I think it’s a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter, if she believes the accusers of her father, when he’s affirmatively stated that there’s no truth to it. I don’t think that’s a question you would ask many other daughters.”

Of course, Ivanka Trump really isn’t like “many other daughters,” as many commentators are noting, both on cable news Monday morning and on Twitter. First there is the fact that she’s a White House official, as some said:

Ivanka Trump works for the federal government as a senior advisor to the President of the United States.

Some in the media are mocking Ivanka Trump's "it's a pretty inappropriate question" response to whether she believes her father's accusers, since she's a WH official. Fine. But the more important question is why it's ok that she (and Jared) are WH officials in the first place.

If Ivanka Trump is unwilling to answer questions about the sexually abusive behavior of the President of the United States she clearly doesn’t stand for women’s rights and has no business holding a job in the Trump administration.

Then there is the fact that Ivanka Trump has regularly used her White House position to tout her support for women’s empowerment — while working in an administration headed by a man accused of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, as others noted:

Multiple women have come forward with a wide range of accusations involving encounters that occurred prior to Trump becoming president, CNN and other outlets have reported. The allegations range from lewd behavior around teenage beauty contestants to sexual harassment, unwanted touching and sexual assault. President Trump has repeatedly denied he ever harassed or assaulted any woman.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has enacted programs or policies that critics see as harmful to women’s health or to workplace equity. Ivanka Trump herself supported the decision by her father’s White House to stop implementation of a new rule designed to prevent gender pay discrimination.

She also has discussed the dangers of sexual harassment in the workplace in her capacity as a White House advisor. In November, in an official White House visit to the World Assembly for Women in Japan last year, she said in a speech: “All too often, our workplace culture fails to treat women with appropriate respect. This takes many forms, including harassment, which can never be tolerated.”

More recently, she tweeted support for Oprah Winfrey’s rousing Time’s Up speech at the Golden Globe Awards. The media mogul declared that a “new day is on the horizon” for women and girls in the wake of the national #MeToo reckoning around sexual misconduct and gender inequity. #MeToo was sparked by news reports about sexual harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein and other men in power, including President Trump.

The first daughter’s tweet drew immediate criticism for being “tone-deaf” and for what critics say was her attempt to co-opt a popular social movement. Actress Alyssa Milano was among prominent women who called her out and said she should use her money and influence to bring about justice for the women who have accused her father of harassment or assault.

Great! You can make a lofty donation to the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund that is available to support your father's accusers.https://t.co/A8HCVa715v

During the presidential campaign, Ivanka Trump acknowledged that her father’s words on the infamous “Access Hollywood” recording were offensive and crude. On the 2005 recording, Trump was heard bragging about making moves on married women and being able to grab women by the genitals because he’s a celebrity.

Martha Ross is a features writer who covers everything and anything related to popular culture, society, health, women’s issues and families. A native of the East Bay and a graduate of Northwestern University and Mills College, she’s also a former hard-news and investigative reporter, covering crime and local politics.

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